


Fight

by Causa



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 13:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5745790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Causa/pseuds/Causa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>None of them saw Pearl until she revealed herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fight

Blue Diamond demanded silence in her court, and so her gems moved as swiftly and gently as they were able. But Pearl was just as soft, and stepped light-footed and spun and crouched more gracefully than any of them ever could. None of them saw her until she revealed herself. 

The other pearl's gentle intake of breath made Pearl shiver. Her pale blue skin was bare and she stood, hands clasped, head hung, hair covering her eyes. She did not move. 

"She's through with you for the day, isn't she?" 

"I am not to leave here until she returns." 

"She should treat you better. You're lovely. Much lovelier than me, and I was given more respect." 

The other pearl's head jerked upward, her mouth twisting. She snarled. "Leave here, traitor." 

Pearl tightened the grip on her blade. The other pearl tensed, began to quiver. Pearl stepped toward her slowly, sword at her side. When the blade was half an inch from her, the other pearl jumped backwards, her hands splayed over her gem. 

Pearl dropped her sword. "Well, you've disobeyed her. You may as well just come with me." 

"She—She won't kn—know," the pearl said, her voice breaking. 

"She has a habit of breaking all who betray her expectations."

The other pearl said nothing, her lips quivering. 

"Please come with me. I saw you watching me when I was at the arena." 

The other pearl did not move. 

"We need more soldiers, and you can become one—I know. And Rose will be better to you than you could possibly imagine. She won't treat you like a pearl."

"I am happy under the service of Blue Diamond," the other pearl said quietly after a long silence. "I am safe with her and she treats me well, gives me the finest—" 

"You can't possibly be happy. You have no purpose." 

"My purpose is to serve Blue Diamond and the Diamond Authority, and I do it well," she said, her voice rising. "I'm not defective like you." 

Pearl felt faint and hollow. She knelt down, her fingers tracing the edge of her blade before grasping the handle. "You won't come?" 

The other pearl stepped forward, stood as she had when Pearl had entered.

"Never." 

Pearl's footsteps rang loud in her ears; when she had nearly reached the doorway, a faint "wait" echoed through them. She stopped, turned, saw that the pearl's hand was outstretched. She rushed to her and clasped it, grinning, moving the hair from her eyes; they were large, deep blue, cloudy. Pearl shivered. 

"You won't regret this."

The pearl shook her head. "What if I'm not like you? I think this—" she gestured to her body—"is all I can do." 

"That's ridiculous," said Pearl. "If I can—"

She heard footsteps, became silent. Before her were three jaspers, which she felled with a simple twirl. More came; she sprang upward, bent backward, swept left and right and sliced them all. She turned to the pearl. "We have to get you out of here." 

"My, my." 

The low voice came from the presence that was suddenly before her; she towered over Pearl, who would not dare to look at her. Pearl could not move. 

"I had hoped if any of you came back, it would be the sapphire." 

Pearl felt dizzy and ill, thinking how stupid, how reckless she was. What a hassle she had caused for Rose: she'd have to be replaced, unless Garnet had improved in her short absence—but that was unlikely. Pearl's eyes moved slowly from the floor to the pearl before her: her shoulders had sunk, hair hanging low over her eyes. 

_"You're so brave,"_ Rose had told Pearl, and she had believed it, internalized it, thought of herself sometimes as some inspiring and motivational force that could rally up all the pearls like her and she had done the simulations in her head and if all of them rebelled and were half as effective as her, Rose would have no problem winning. But that would never happen when she couldn't rescue a single one. 

Pearl tensed further as the diamond raised her palm; she registered sound and movement, saw the blue-skinned pearl scream to her and lunge, saw the giant hand fling her against the wall, saw the shattered pieces of her glisten in the light that came from the window. Pearl was gone before the diamond's hand returned to her side, sword in hand, slashing at everything in her path, moving until none of her kind were before her, until she became aware of the numbness in her legs and collapsed in some bush, felt thorns pricking her skin and didn't care. She thought of the pearl and Rose and cried quietly for a long time until Rose found her. 

Relief and anger flashed on her face, but she was smiling when she picked Pearl up and carried her to their home. Pearl had no energy to insist on walking herself, shaking and sobbing in Rose's arms until she let her down and they sat beside one another and she saw tears in Rose's eyes. 

"Garnet said you might be _crushed_ ," cried Rose. 

Pearl wiped her eyes. "Please don't worry about me, Rose." 

"I thought you were dead!" Rose embraced her, and Pearl felt herself warming before the shock of her touch wore off and then her mind began racing again and she felt her insides were frozen. She struggled to breathe. 

"You can get another pearl," she said. "But if you're worrying over me, then—"

"Pearl," said Rose, sounding hurt, "don't talk like that." 

"It's true," Pearl said. 

Rose took her hands. "It's not true," she said. "I haven't heard you talk this way in ages. What's gotten into you? What's happened?" 

Pearl lowered her eyes. "I saw Blue Diamond's pearl watching us when we left the arena—"

"You know we agreed not to attack her court in exchange for her agreement to stop construction of the spire," Rose said sternly. 

Pearl nodded slowly, speaking softly. "But I couldn't stop thinking of her and I…"

Rose's pursed lips slowly turned into a grin. "You—You don't _have_ her, do you?" 

Pearl shook her head rapidly; fresh tears flung from her cheeks to the ground. "I got her killed," she said when she was again able to speak. "I guess a jasper saw me…and Blue Diamond must have been nearby— heard it all—and when she was about to—the pearl, she—she jumped to—" 

Rose rubbed her back as she lowered her head and wept. 

"It's not your fault," said Rose softly, her voice soothing. "She made a choice." 

"This is why we _shouldn't be_!" Pearl screamed, placing her head in her hands. After some time she raised her eyes, not meeting Rose's, looking to the darkened sky above them. "Thank the stars I have you to tell me what to do." 

Rose's touch was gone. Pearl shivered. 

"Your staying here was a choice," Rose said, her voice blank. "You said you wanted to stay here with me." 

"It's the only sensible thing I've done on my own," Pearl said, and she heard Rose sigh with relief. 

"Pearl," Rose said after silence, "why didn't you tell me you were thinking about the pearl you saw?"

"I didn't think you would understand," she said quietly, eyes on the ground. 

"You didn't tell me you were going to find her," Rose said. "I didn't know where you were." 

"You would have said not to," Pearl sniffed. "And if I would have listened to you—I should _always_ listen to you." 

"No," said Rose, shaking her head. "I make bad decisions sometimes, too. Everyone does." 

Pearl laughed. "When have you ever? You're flawless." 

"Pearl," said Rose, placing a hand on hers. Garnet appeared, to Rose's relief, and smiled at Pearl, who had wiped her eyes clean.


End file.
